Chapter 1
The Very Basics

Grunt is a task runner, designed to be more configuration than code. And while many of the examples you’ll see in the wild involve copying and pasting configuration snippets and loading plug-ins, don’t be fooled into thinking that’s all Grunt can do. Sure, there are some amazing plug-ins that will vastly improve your workflow, but if you know JavaScript, Grunt becomes a very powerful automation tool for many types of projects. If you have a manual repetitive task you run as part of your development or deployment process, chances are there’s a way to automate that process with Grunt.

In this chapter we’ll set up our first project with Grunt and cover how the basic task system works. We’ll use simple JavaScript programs to highlight and explore Grunt’s basic features. By the end you’ll be able to create basic tasks and handle errors.